Custom Panel State and FO preflight flows

[Eziocin 46]

Brian,

I am having this issue: if I create a custom panel state (for instance another cold and dark panel state with ALL switches to OFF) and load it after the default panel state has loaded, and then I launch FS2Crew, the FO will not perform the power up and the rest of the flows (i.e. he says the welcome phrase to the captain but then nothing else happens). If I quit FSX restart again and leave the default C&D then everything works fine.

Is there a particular reason for this ? I was assuming that FS2Crew worked well also with non default panels states. What is important as outlined also in the manual is that FSX is started with the default flight.

 

Thanks for clarifying this point.

 

Regards

 

 

Ezio 

[byork 2,258]

Hi Ezio,

 

It shouldn't make a difference.

 

You're running the Pre-Flight events, right? 

 

In the CFG Options, do you have this set to YES?

 

777 FO PERFORMS ELEC POWER UP: YES

[Eziocin 46]

Brian,

yes, of course I have checked that all config settings are as they should be.

Regards

[Eziocin 46]

Brian,

I have noticed that if I set as start up panel state a panel which is not the default C&D (again, as I wrote above, a "different" C&D, created by myself), and then I launch FS2Crew, the FO will not be able to connect the GPU and therefore he will not carry out the Power Up flow. However,  if I connect the GPU via the FMC before launching FSCrew, in that case the FO will carry out his flows with no issues.

Any idea why it happens ?

Thanks

 

Regards

 

 

Ezio

[byork 2,258]

 

 

f I set as start up panel state a panel which is not the default C&D

 

I understand... that's because FS2Crew can only control the GPU via the FO's FMC.

 

And the FO's FMC sounds like it is unpowered.  So the FO can't connect the GPU until his FMC has power.

 

This I recall is documented in the manual.

 

So just manually connect the GPU prior to starting FS2Crew.

[Eziocin 46]

Brian,

I had come to the same conclusion but there is one thing which is puzzling me. I made this test: I left the default C&D panel state as default start up state and loaded the flight. After the a/c initialisation was completed I opened the PMG Set Up menu in the FMC and saved that panel state (without changing anything) as a Y-XXX panel (in theory this panel should be fully identical to the default one, shouldn' it ?). I quit FSX, then launched it again, loaded the flight and after aircraft inizialization I loaded the saved Y-XXX panel. I then started FS2Crew and Run Preflight, with FO Power Up (EXT) option selected. Guess what ? Nothing happened as the FO was not able to connect the GPU. How's that possible ?

Regards 

[byork 2,258]

Was the FO's FMC even On?

 

When FS2Crew connects/disconnects ground equipment, it literally goes through the FO's FMC and presses the same buttons you would.

 

Alas the SDK does not give us direct control of the ground equipment, so we have to do it this way.

[Eziocin 46]

Brian,

the FO's FMC is never ON during the Power Up. Even when everything works fine using the default C&D state, after I launch the "Run Preflight" what happens is that the Cpt FMC (left hand side FMC) gets power and I see the "virtual" FO moving through the menus and connecting the GPU, but this happens only on the left hand side FMC, the right hand side is always dark as long as the power up flow is not completed.

The strange thing is that if I load another C&D saved panel (even if identical to the default one, as reported in the previous post), the left hand side FMC remains dark (and therefore the FO cannot connect the GPU).

I don't know if I explained this situation well.

 

Regards 

[byork 2,258]

Hi Ezio,

 

That's odd.  Frankly, I recommend people just use the default PMDG panel states because they're a known entity and all they do is work.

 

If a panel state goes bad, it can cause problems with the plane if everything doesn't initialize properly.

[Eziocin 46]

Brian,

ok...that sounds right....but the thing I need to clarify is: you say that the FO FMC should be powered in order for the FO to connect the GPU, but actually I see that the FO connects the GPU via the Cpt FMC, while the FO FMC is still dark, and this has always been this way since my very first day with FS2Crew for PMDG T7. But you say that the FO connects the external power via his FMC, which should be powered....which is different from what I see.

Where is the problem ?

Thanks for clarifying this point.

 

Regards 

[byork 2,258]

Hi Ezio,

 

It's complicated.  In some instances FS2Crew will use the left FMC if it detects the right FMC is unpowered.

 

I think in your case you need to manually turn on the Captain's FMC prior to running the pre-flight events.

 

So turn on the Capt's FMC manually.

 

That will solve your issue with your custom panel state.

[Eziocin 46]

Brian, apologise for coming back on this issue, but I am confused (probably my fault in not explaining the situation better):

 

 

 

I think in your case you need to manually turn on the Captain's FMC prior to running the pre-flight events.
 
So turn on the Capt's FMC manually.

 

Actually the Captain's FMC (left hand side) is turned on... and the FS2Crew FO is not able to use it if I load a custom C&D panel state. The FO FMC (right hand side) is always "dark" regardless I load the default PMDG C&D or the custom C&D. The difference is with the default C&D, the FO goes thorugh the Captain's FMC pages (I see the pages changing) and connnects the GPU, while with the custom C&D he doesn't.

Any idea why it happens ?

Thanks

 

Regards

[byork 2,258]

I'm sorry, I can't explain that.

 

I suggest just using the stock PMDG panel state files.

[Eziocin 46]

Brian,

I think I have found the root cause and the fix for the problem I am having with FS2Crew when loading a saved panel state and starting from a cold and dark aircraft using EXT PWR on the PMDG T7.
 

 

 

 

When FS2Crew connects/disconnects ground equipment, it literally goes through the FO's FMC and presses the same buttons you would.
 
Alas the SDK does not give us direct control of the ground equipment, so we have to do it this way.

 

This is the key point here, thank you for pointing this out .....

 

What happens when I load a saved panel state from a cold and dark situation is that, in order to access the "PMDG Set Up" page in the FMC, after the aircraft has initialised, I have to power up the Cpt. FMC by pressing and holding the Menu button on the FMC itself. So I load my saved panel state. Now, if I launch FS2Crew and configure it to have the FO carrying out the Power Up flows via the EXT PWR, the first thing he will do is to try and connect the GPU, and to do this he will power up the FMC by pressing and holding the Menu button, but, the one thing he doesn't know is that the FMC is already powered (I did it to load the panel state) so by pressing and holding the Menu button the result is that he will actually de-energise the FMC, rather than powering it up, and he will not be able to connect the GPU and the flow will freeze.

 

So, in the end, if I want to load a saved panel state, and have FS2Crew FO to perform the power up flow via EXT PWR, from a cold and dark state, the correct sequence is:

 

1. Initialize the aircraft (assuming a C&D state as default start up panel has already been set)

2. Power up the Cpt. FMC by pressing and holding the Menu button on the FMC

3. Load the saved panel state relevant to that registration

4. Shut down the Cpt. FMC by pressing and holding the Menu button until the screen becomes dark

5. Launch FS2Crew (with "FO perform power up flow (EXT)" set in the CFG menu)

 

I have tested it a couple of times in both cases and it looks like what triggers FS2Crew FO's Power up flow working or not is the actual state of FMC when FS2Crew is launched.

 

Does it  make sense to you ?

 

Regards

 

Ezio

[byork 2,258]

Hi Ezio,

 

Sorta makes sense!  Glad you got it sorted.

 

Cheers,